Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-04-15
PRISON PUNISHMENT.
CORRECTIVE TREATMENT OF REFRACTORY
PRISONERS AT SING SIh6.

sTRINGING Up UNRULY CONVICTS
BY THEIR wRIsTs-THE AGONY
SUFFERED BY A PRISONER IN A
DARK CELL-ONE MANS EXPE.
RIENCE.
4 visitor going torough Sing
Sing prison is struck by a square
room, comparatively small for that
place, that has a cleaner and bright
er appearance than any other room
in the entire institution, the chap
lair's office not excepted. The en-
trance is on level with the ground,
the entire center is taken up with
framework Of brick that is hollow
ed out on two sides into cells, and
the entire place is as white as lime
can make it. The tagged corridor
rnnning around the cells is spotless
and the place is as quiet as a tomb.
The cells are perfectly bare of fur
niture and are for the greater part
of the time empty. They are doubly
guarded, for besides the usual
heavy grated door they have a door
made of heavy planks that set in
close to the masOnery. They are
in striking contrast to the walls,
for these are painted black. Arais'
ed section of wood work in the cen
ter of them admits air INTO the cell
through winding channels, through
which not even the fainteSt ray of
light can force its way. As cheer.
ful as the place looks to the visitor
it is a bugbear to the prisoners,
for these are the dark cells.
This is one of the two forms of
punishment inflicted upon the re.
factory prisoners in Sing Sing, and
it is a punishment so horrible that
the mere threat of a dark cell car
ries with it more terrOrs than the
actual inHictlOn of the other pun
ishment, which consists of string
ing up prisoners by their wrists.
The apparatus for this is in the
same building, and consists of
piece Of heavy timber about eigh.
teen inches square that slides up
and down in a groove. In the cen
ter OF the square is a hook. The
victim is handcuffed and the link
connecting the cuff is slipped over
this hook and the block is raised
up until the prisoners feet leave
the floor. This point is generally
sigEaled 10y a scream from the un.
happy wretch who is suspended,
Principal Keeper COnnaughtOn
said, not more than fifteen or twen.
ty seconds. "Ibave seen statements
to that effect" said he, "that blood
frequently gushes from the wrists
of prisoners punished in this way
that it often cripples them for life;
that prisoners are hung up for five
aud ten minutes, and that the pun
ishment is frequently inflicted.
BUT A FEW SECONDS.
''NOne of these statements is
true, in the first place, no living
man could stand being strung up
as long a time as that. The pun
ishment is not inflicted here once a
month, and during my long expe-
riencc in prison | have never
known of blood being forced
through the skin by the pressure.
A short time ago a party OF visitors
were shown through here. One Of
them was a man about 81 years of
age. lie had an idea that men
were hung up by tho wrists for
hours at a time. When | told him
that the punishment never lasted
more than a few seconds he was
not inclined to believe it. : sent
for a pair OF handouts, and he con.
sented to let me hang him up for a
few seconds. Just as soon as the
strain began he cried out, and his
toes had scarcely left the ground
before he was imploring me to let
him down. There was faint red
line around his wrist, and that was
all"
As terrible as this punishment is
it IS nothing compared to the ago.
MES suffered by the prisoner who is
locked mp in a dark cell. A young
fellow was taken to Sing Sing
about a year ago to serve a FIVE
| years sentence. lie began his term
Of imprisonment by disobeying
every order given him by the keep
ers. He was reasoned with, and
efforts were made TO show him that
he was hurting nobody as much as
he was hurting himself. But he
was both lazy and vicious, and he
was strung up by the wrists. The
punishment Kept him straight for
few days, but it was soon found
necessary to string HIM mp again.
The second punishment seemed to
have no effect, and then he was
placed i'm a dark cell. At the ex-
piration of a few hours the door
was opened, and the young man
rushed out with a face as pale as
death, and shaking in every limb
He behaved himself for a week,
and then fell into his old ways
again.
D 81 think ] shall have to put you
in the dark cell again." said Mr.
Connaughton to him.
"Oh, don't do that he pleaded
HPlease string me M: that ism